Selma Unified teachers want the district to reconsider plans to nix more than 50 positions and implement a permanent district-wide pay cut to offset budget losses caused by the coronavirus pandemic.

The Selma Unified School District must make up for an estimated $10 to $12 million loss directly related to state budget funding, according to Larry Teixeira, assistant superintendent of Business Services.

Teixeira gave a budget presentation at an emergency board meeting last week, where he proposed letting go of 19 intervention teachers, 20 academic coaches, and five librarians. All staff would take a permanent 10% pay cut.

Under the plan, the district would also cut some jobs for grounds workers, behavioral aides, P.E. assistants, a district receptionist, and two teachers — one from Abraham Lincoln Middle School, and another from Heartland Alternative School.

The district would also cut back on supplies, travel and lawn and maintenance work. The proposed cuts would save about $12 million. Trustees will vote on budget proposals on June 30.

But the Selma Unified Teachers Association is urging the board to force the administration into proposing different cuts that wouldn’t directly affect those who interact with students.

Rachel Starbuck, a teacher and engagement coordinator with the union, says leadership should first look at administration cuts to plug the budget gap.

“The decisions about how to address this kind of budget crisis need to come from the perspective of preserving students services, above everything else, and then making sure that the cuts are valid and equitable and that they start from the top,” she said in an interview with The Bee.

Starbuck says for a district that serves 6,400 students, a superintendent plus three assistant superintendents and various other assistants may be overkill.

“Those are the people that have been making the financial decisions for our district,” she said.

For comparison, nearby Parlier Unified, which has about half the student population of Selma, has only one assistant superintendent. Kerman Unified, which has almost the same number of students as Selma, also has three assistant superintendents. Central Unified’s population of 15,000 also has three.

During a Q&A session in February, the district maintained that different schools have different titles for the same type of job position and said Selma Unified’s administration is not top-heavy.

Selma Unified’s budget is $85 million, and about $65 million goes to salaries and benefits, making it difficult to cut much of anything else, Teixeira said. According to the American Association of School Administrators, that number is in line with most districts, which spend 80 to 85% of their budget on personnel and benefits.

Starbuck says the district is not open to working with teachers on an alternative budget proposal. The union suggested forming a committee of teachers and community members to find savings that wouldn’t directly affect those who work with students.

“That request has been rejected by our district leadership,” she said.

Selma Superintendent Tanya Fisher could not immediately be reached for comment.

Although many districts are worried about finances and weighing cutbacks, Starbuck says Selma Unified’s deep cuts come from years of letting reserves dwindle.

Just a few months ago, Selma Unified cut several positions and did some rearranging to build up its reserves before the state threatened to take over its finances.

During an emergency budget meeting in February, officials said waning attendance in the last few years has led to less funding. According to state data, Selma Unified enrollment dropped from 6,541 in the 2015-16 year, to 6,393 in 2018-19.

Trustees were scheduled to convene their regularly scheduled meeting Tuesday, where teachers and community members planned to attend in an act of solidarity against the new cuts. But after technical difficulties, including sending out the wrong link to the online meeting, trustees postponed the meeting to Monday at 6 p.m.

When trustees go to vote in June, they will also have a “plan B” that can be used in a best-case scenario. Teixeira said it would cut fewer positions, but is not likely enough to make up for the funding losses.

Schools won’t know their final revenue numbers until August, and Teixeira says it could be better than what they’re planning for — or worse. If it’s better, the district may pull back on letting some positions go, he said.

Still, the teachers association urged the community to speak out against the proposed cuts.

“Those teachers, coaches, aides, librarians, nurses, food services, and support staff play a critical role in the growth of each student. Students should not pay the consequences for the poor fiscal decisions of the district leaders,” the union said in a statement.

Starbuck said the district has a high population of English-language learners and needs its intervention teachers. A “slash and burn approach” won’t work, she said.

“The school board, which is voted on by the community, they have the power to force the district leaders to look for other alternatives to find better solutions, and they also have the power to hold those leaders accountable for the decisions that they’re making.”

The Education Lab is a local journalism initiative that highlights education issues critical to the advancement of the San Joaquin Valley. It is funded by donors. Learn about The Bee’s Education Lab on our website.

This story was originally published May 29, 2020 at 12:11 PM.